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Designing OERs to teach Italian pronunciation in anopen educational environment: a case studyBook SectionHow to cite:

Calvi, Anna; Motzo, Anna and Silipo, Sandra (2013). Designing OERs to teach Italian pronunciation in anopen educational environment: a case study. In: Beaven, Ana; Comas-Quinn, Anna and Barbara, Sawhill eds. CaseStudies of Openness in the Language Classroom. Dublin: Research-Publishing.net, pp. 70–82.

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70

6Designing OERs to Teach Italian Pronunciation in an Open Educational Environment: A Case Study

Anna Calvi1, Anna Motzo2 and Sandra Silipo3

Abstract

This case study reports on work that was carried out as part of a project

developed by the Open University’s Department of Languages

(Collaborative Writing and Peer Review) between November 2011 and May

2012. The project was led by the Open University’s LORO team and the

participants were teachers in the Department of Languages. The teachers

who took part in the project were interested in the collaborative production of

2(5V�DQG�LQ�EHQH¿WLQJ�IURP�HDFK�RWKHU¶V�H[SHUWLVH�DQG�IHHGEDFN�LQ�WKH�¿HOG�of online and blended language teaching and learning. The authors worked

collaboratively in producing a set of online audio-visual materials aimed

DW� KHOSLQJ� VWXGHQWV� RI� ,WDOLDQ� WR�PDVWHU� WKH� SURQXQFLDWLRQ� RI� ¿YH� VSHFL¿F�VRXQGV�� 7KLV� SURFHVV� SURYLGHG� DQ� H[DPSOH� RI� KRZ� WKH� SURGXFWLRQ� DQG�design stage of OERs (which involved goal-setting, planning, researching

DQG� GHVLJQLQJ� DFWLYLWLHV�� EHQH¿WHG� IURP� RSHQQHVV� DQG� VKDULQJ�� 7KLV� FDVH�study is addressed to members of the online teaching community who are

interested in the sharing of resources, practices and intellectual capital as a

means to enhance professional development and raise individual tutors’ and

LQVWLWXWLRQDO�SUR¿OHV�

Keywords: peer-reviewing, professional development, online learning and teaching,

open access resources, Jing, Italian, collaborative writing, OER, LORO, pronunciation.

1. The Open University in the West Midlands, UK; a.calvi@open.ac.uk

2. The Open University in London, UK; a.motzo@open.ac.uk

3. The Open University in Wales, UK; s.silipo@open.ac.uk

How to cite this chapter: Calvi, A., Motzo, A., & Silipo, S. (2013). Designing OERs to Teach Italian Pronunciation in an Open Educational Environment: A Case Study. In A. Beaven, A. Comas-Quinn, & B. Sawhill (Eds), Case Studies of Openness in the Language Classroom (pp. 70-82). © Research-publishing.net.

Anna Calvi, Anna Motzo and Sandra Silipo

71

1. The context

7KLV�VHFWLRQ�GHVFULEHV� WKH� LQVWLWXWLRQDO�FRQWH[W�DQG� WKH�VSHFL¿F�SURMHFW�ZLWKLQ�which the authors collaboratively worked to produce a set of Italian language

OERs.

1.1. The OU

The OU is a UK-wide Higher Education institution that offers distance tuition

to adult (16+) learners. The Department of Languages currently offers language

courses in French, German and Spanish (up to degree level) as well as Italian,

Chinese, Welsh and English for Academic Purposes. All these modules offer

EOHQGHG�WXLWLRQ��L�H��D�PL[WXUH�RI�IDFH�WR�IDFH�JURXS�WXWRULDOV�DQG�RQOLQH�JURXS�tutorials (delivered through a synchronous video-conferencing tool). Learners

and teachers can also get in contact via online asynchronous tools such as forums,

wikis and blogs. Beginners’ modules run for 11 months, while modules at other

levels run for 8 months. During this time learners submit their assignments

electronically via the university’s own e-system, and receive electronic feedback

from their teachers. Tools used to provide feedback include Audacity and Jing.

1.2. The teachers

7HDFKHUV�DUH�H[SHFWHG� WR� WDNH�DFWLYH�SDUW� LQ� WKH�SURGXFWLRQ�RI�PDWHULDOV� WR�EH�used in the face-to-face and online tutorials. They typically adapt or create

online teaching resources (consistent with the programme followed by the

course book) to be used on the synchronous video-conferencing tool, and are

also encouraged to upload and share their resources on LORO (Languages Open Resources Online), an online repository for storing, sharing and accessing

language-teaching resources.

1.3. The collaborative writing and peer review project

The main purpose of the project was to give language teachers the opportunity

WR�ZRUN�FROODERUDWLYHO\�WR�SURGXFH�DQG�VKDUH�QHZ�ODQJXDJH�VSHFL¿F�2(5V��RU�

Chapter 6

72

DGDSW�WKH�H[LVWLQJ�RQHV��7KH\�ZHUH�HQFRXUDJHG�WR�H[SORLW�D�UDQJH�RI�V\QFKURQRXV�and asynchronous tools (synchronous video-conferencing tool, forum, and

emails, Audacity, Jing and Power Point) both for communication purposes and

for the creation or re-adaptation of the educational resources. The objective was

to share and publish the resources produced by each group by uploading them

on an open repository.

Quite early on in the project emphasis was put on the crucial role that peer

review has in a collaborative work. Therefore, in the initial phase all project

team members worked together in establishing the main rules of working

collaboratively in an online environment and produced a ‘Netiquette’ for peer

review.

In a second phase, participants were invited to form different groups and agree

RQ�D�VSHFL¿F�WDVN�GHSHQGLQJ�RQ�WKHLU�FRPPRQ�LQWHUHVWV�DQG�DUHDV�RI�H[SHUWLVH��and on the choice of tool. At this stage, the forum became a lively platform

in which useful information, ideas and comments were shared amongst all the

participants. Thanks to its openness, participants could interact with members of

other groups and ideas emerged easily.

'XULQJ� WKH� SURGXFWLRQ� SKDVH�� GLIIHUHQW� JURXSV� H[SORUHG� GLIIHUHQW� ZRUNLQJ�tools. For effective communication, members preferred emails and regular

online conference meetings via synchronous video-conferencing tools (either

Elluminate or Skype). The choice of tools used to create or adapt resources

depended mainly on the type of resources the group meant to produce.

1.4. The Italian project

The group consisted of three teachers who had been involved in the delivery of

WKH�EOHQGHG�28�,WDOLDQ�%HJLQQHUV¶�PRGXOH�/����µ$QGDQWH¶� IRU�¿YH�\HDUV�DQG�Italian Intermediate module L150 ‘Vivace’ for two years.

Each member was able to contribute a variety of relevant skills which she aspired

WR� GHYHORS� IXUWKHU�� $QQD� &DOYL� KDG� JDWKHUHG� H[SHULHQFH� DV� RQOLQH� ODQJXDJH�

Anna Calvi, Anna Motzo and Sandra Silipo

73

teacher and writer of Italian and EAP materials for online, distance and face-

WR�IDFH�HQYLURQPHQWV��$QQD�0RW]R�ZDV�DQ�H[SHULHQFHG�IDFH�WR�IDFH�DQG�RQOLQH�teacher of Italian who had coached opera singers, and whose areas of interest

were pronunciation, production of learning material and e-learning. Sandra

Silipo had worked for many years as a teacher of Italian (both face-to-face and

online) as well as an author of Italian books, and was particularly interested in

improving her online teaching skills and developing resources for the teaching

of pronunciation.

2. Intended outcomes

This section describes the needs of online and distance language learners, the

QHHGV� RI� OHDUQHUV� RI� ,WDOLDQ� UHJDUGLQJ� SKRQRORJ\� DQG� WKH� VSHFL¿F� LQWHQGHG�outcomes of the Italian project.

2.1. The learners’ needs

The materials produced by participants to the project were intended to address

WKH�VSHFL¿F�QHHGV�RI�RQOLQH�DQG�GLVWDQFH�OHDUQHUV��6WXG\LQJ�D�ODQJXDJH�WKURXJK�a distance course offers learners the advantage of working at their own pace,

but challenges are also present. The main challenge that learners face is limited

DFFHVV� WR� IDFH�WR�IDFH� FRQWDFW�ZLWK� WKHLU� WHDFKHU� DQG�ZLWK� SUR¿FLHQW� VSHDNHUV�of the language. This can negatively affect the development of speaking skills

and, in particular, pronunciation. There is little time to work on learners’

pronunciation during the tutorials, and once the tutorial is over, learners can no

longer access a live model. In addition to this, not all learners attend tutorials,

which are not compulsory. Particularly affected are learners who have a learning

GLVDELOLW\� DQG�QHHG� H[SOLFLW� H[SODQDWLRQV�� D�PXOWL�VHQVRU\� DSSURDFK� DQG�PRUH�opportunities for practice.

2.2. Five challenging Italian sounds

$Q� DUHD� ZKLFK� OHDUQHUV� RI� ,WDOLDQ� ¿QG� SDUWLFXODUO\� FKDOOHQJLQJ� LV� WKH�

Chapter 6

74

pronunciation of the phonemes [ݠ], [z], [s], [ݕ], and the double consonant /ll/. As can be seen in Table 1�� WKHVH�VRXQGV�DUH�GLI¿FXOW� WR�OHDUQ�HLWKHU�EHFDXVH�WKH�VRXQGV�GR�QRW�H[LVW�LQ�WKH�(QJOLVK�ODQJXDJH��RU�EHFDXVH�WKH\�H[LVW�EXW�DUH�spelt in a different way.

Table 1. 'LI¿FXOWLHV�IDFHG�E\�(QJOLVK�VSHDNHUV�OHDUQLQJ�WR�SURQRXQFH ���DQG�WKH�GRXEOH�FRQVRQDQW��OO@ݕ<��@V<��@[<��@ݠ<

Phonemes 'LI¿FXOWLHV��VSHOW��JO��@ݠ< ,W�GRHV�QRW�H[LVW�LQ�(QJOLVK��DQ�DSSUR[LPDWLRQ�RI�LW�LV�

WKH�SKRQHPH�>OM@�DV�LQ�WKH�(QJOLVK�ZRUG�µPLOOLRQ¶��>]@ ,W�H[LVWV�ERWK�LQ�,WDOLDQ�DQG�LQ�(QJOLVK��EXW�LQ�

(QJOLVK�LV�VSHOW��]���ZKLOH�LQ�,WDOLDQ�LV�VSHOW��V��>V@ ,W�H[LVWV�LQ�(QJOLVK�DQG�LV�VSHOW��V���,Q�,WDOLDQ�VSHOOLQJ�

�V��FRUUHVSRQGV�HLWKHU�WR�SKRQHPH�>]@�RU�SKRQHPH�>V@��GHSHQGLQJ�RQ�WKH�SRVLWLRQ�LQ�WKH�ZRUG��RQ�WKH�SKRQHPHV�WKDW�SUHFHGH�RU�IROORZ�LW�DQG�DOVR�RQ�UHJLRQDO�YDULDWLRQV��

@ݕ< ,W�H[LVWV�LQ�(QJOLVK�EXW�KDV�D�GLIIHUHQW�VSHOOLQJ�IURP�WKH�,WDOLDQ��(QJOLVK��VK���,WDOLDQ��VFL����VFH���

7KH�GRXEOH�FRQVRQDQW�VRXQG��OO�

,W�GRHV�QRW�H[LVW�LQ�(QJOLVK

2.3. Intended outcomes of the Italian project

The goal was to produce resources which would help learners of Italian to

improve their pronunciation of individual phonemes. The aim was therefore to

design materials that would:

�� help learners to recognize and pronounce the phonemes [ݠ], [z], [s], [ݕ], and the double consonant /ll/;

�� SURYLGH� WKHP�ZLWK� HDVLO\� DFFHVVLEOH� H[SODQDWLRQV� DQG� RSSRUWXQLWLHV� IRU�practice.

Another goal was to develop professionally and improve support techniques.

It was therefore hoped that as a result of the project the authors would be

better able to:

Anna Calvi, Anna Motzo and Sandra Silipo

75

�� prepare learners for oral assignments;

�� provide effective feedback on assignments;

�� produce multimodal materials involving the use of sound and visuals

�LPDJHV�DQG�WH[W��

�� use Jing in combination with PowerPoint;

�� work collaboratively with colleagues.

Overall, the authors felt that the project would help them become more

autonomous not only in their effort to develop professionally but also in

their ability to produce materials that suit their teaching styles and learners’

needs.

Finally, the authors also wanted their project to have a wider impact, so they

planned to produce resources that could:

�� contribute to the delivery of the Italian beginners and intermediate

modules;

�� FRQVWLWXWH�DQ�H[DPSOH�RI�JRRG�SUDFWLFH�DQG�DWWUDFW�XVHIXO�IHHGEDFN�

�� be made available to our OU colleagues and the wider teaching

community.

3. Nuts and bolts

The authors started by discussing which tools would best help them to meet

their goals. They agreed that the best way to produce multimodal materials

incorporating sound and visuals would be to create a PowerPoint presentation

and incorporate it in Jing before uploading it on LORO.

Chapter 6

76

PowerPoint is a versatile tool normally used in both face-to-face and online

tutorials. PP presentations can be easily uploaded on Elluminate and can also

be easily shared with learners if they want to go over the language they have

practised during a tutorial.

Jing is a screencasting computer program launched in 2007 by the TechSmith

Corporation. The software takes a picture or video (image and sound) of the

user’s computer screen and uploads it to the Web. When the pictures or videos

are uploaded to the web, Jing automatically creates a URL that can be shared

ZLWK� RWKHUV�� 7KHUH� DUH� VHYHUDO� UHDVRQV� ZK\� -LQJ� ¿WWHG� LQ� ZLWK� WKH� DXWKRUV¶�objectives: it has a simple format, is user-friendly and is compatible with both

Macintosh and Microsoft Windows. Users must sign up for an account before

using the software, but registration is free, and there is no need to register and/or

download the software in order to access the URL. All that learners need to do in

order to access a recording is click on a link to open a web page. Jing recordings

can be uploaded and shared on LORO, can be shared via their web link, and can

be opened on Elluminate.

4. In practice: Three Italian tongue twisters

After agreeing which tools would be used, the project group members had to

FKRRVH� WKH� FRQWHQW� RI� WKH� UHFRUGLQJV�� D� VKRUW� WH[W� �Jing recordings cannot be

more than 5 minutes long) which could be used as a basis for pronunciation

practice.

Tongue twisters were used for three reasons. First of all, in Italy tongue twisters

DUH�FRPPRQO\�XVHG�LQ�SULPDU\�VFKRROV�WR�WHDFK�FKLOGUHQ�VSHFL¿F�VSHOOLQJV�DQG�WKH�UHODWHG�VRXQGV��DQG� WR�KHOS� WKHP�WR�GHYHORS�ÀXHQF\��7RQJXH� WZLVWHUV�DOVR�VWLPXODWH� UHSHWLWLRQ� ZKLFK� LQ� WXUQ� KHOSV� OHDUQHUV� WR� DFTXLUH� FRQ¿GHQFH� DQG�GHYHORS�ÀXHQF\��)LQDOO\��WRQJXH�WZLVWHUV�DUH�PRWLYDWLQJ�DV�WKH\�EULQJ�DQ�HOHPHQW�of fun to the learning process, as well as an insight into Italian culture.

Anna Calvi, Anna Motzo and Sandra Silipo

77

Three relevant tongue twisters were selected and each author created a PowerPoint

presentation focussing on one of them. The presentation was then recorded on

Jing, and the URLs of the material produced were posted on the project forum.

This allowed the authors to edit their work thanks to valuable feedback and

comments from their colleagues. Finally, the resources were uploaded on LORO

so that they could be accessed by colleagues.

The three presentations (La pronuncia della lettera ‘s’; Double consonants

in Italian: a tongue-twister; Pronouncing the Italian sound ‘gl’) are similarly

structured, in order to provide consistency, but not identical, because they allow

for variation depending on the sounds presented.

7KH�¿UVW�VOLGH��RU�VHW�RI�VOLGHV��SURYLGHV�D�YLVXDO�UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ�RI�KRZ�WR�PRYH�WKH�PRXWK�LQ�RUGHU�WR�SURGXFH�WKH�VHOHFWHG�VRXQG��$�YRLFH�RYHU�H[SODLQV�KRZ�to produce the selected sounds (see Figure 1).

)LJXUH���� +RZ�WR�DUWLFXODWH�WKH�VRXQG

The second slide (or set of slides) provides words from the tongue twisters

which contain the different selected sounds. A voice-over reads the words

(see Figure 2).

Chapter 6

78

)LJXUH���� ([DPSOHV�IURP�WKH�WRQJXH�WZLVWHU

If necessary, the different sounds presented are compared in a new slide with

both a visual and an auditory stimulus (see Figure 3).

)LJXUH���� &RPSDULVRQ�RI�VRXQGV

The whole tongue twister is introduced line by line, together with a visual aid

(either drawing or picture) which illustrates and encapsulates the tongue twister

through an image (see Figure 4).

Anna Calvi, Anna Motzo and Sandra Silipo

79

)LJXUH���� 7KH�WRQJXH�WZLVWHU

7KH�¿QDO�VOLGH�SURYLGHV�WKH�WUDQVODWLRQ�LQ�(QJOLVK��VHH�Figure 5).

)LJXUH���� 7UDQVODWLRQ�RI�WKH�WRQJXH�WZLVWHU

Two members of the group used the resources in their tutorials. In one case

the teacher presented them in a face-to-face tutorial (using PowerPoint) and

then sent the URL of the Jing videos to the learners so that they could practise

again on their own. In the other case, the activity was carried out online by

uploading the Jing video on Elluminate. The learners were then encouraged to

save it for practice and to record their voice using Audacity or another audio

recording facility.

Chapter 6

80

5. Conclusion

7KLV�FROODERUDWLYH�H[SHULHQFH�FDQ�EH�HYDOXDWHG�LQ�WHUPV�RI�WKH�UHVRXUFHV�FUHDWHG��the process adopted and the professional skills and understandings gained by its

participants.

5.1. The resources

7KH�UHVRXUFHV�SURGXFHG�FRQVWLWXWH�D�JRRG�H[DPSOH�RI�2(5V��)URP�D�SHGDJRJLFDO�point of view, they have a clear objective and this is relevant to teachers teaching

DQ�,WDOLDQ�FRXUVH�WR�(QJOLVK�VSHDNHUV�DV�WKH\�IRFXV�RQ�GLI¿FXOWLHV�WKDW�(QJOLVK�speakers generally face.

They are free and easily accessible through the LORO repository and re-

usable by other teachers within and outside the university. Teachers can also

choose to use them as templates when they design their own presentations

and draw inspiration from them to develop similar resources to support

learners of other languages. Although resources uploaded on LORO are

not formally evaluated by module teams, users are encouraged to post their

comments on them.

The resources were created under the Creative Commons Attribution Only

Licence principle which means users are free to modify the original material,

SURYLGHG� WKDW� WKH�FUHDWRU� LV�DFNQRZOHGJHG��DQG� WKH\�FDQ�EH�PRGL¿HG�EHFDXVH�other users can access the PowerPoint presentation and use it as a template to

create their own resource. In addition, other users can vary the way in which the

UHVRXUFHV�DUH�H[SORLWHG�WR�SURPRWH�OHDUQLQJ��)RU�LQVWDQFH��ERWK�WKH�3RZHU3RLQW�slides and Jing videos can be made available to learners through a range of

online environments and applications such as websites, online classrooms, tutor

group forums, e-mails and e-feedback as well as face-to-face lessons.

Finally, the materials are also interactive in that the learner is encouraged to

repeat after the teacher and, as they follow a multi-modal approach, they are

likely to appeal to many learners and more effectively support language learning.

Anna Calvi, Anna Motzo and Sandra Silipo

81

5.2. The collaborative process

,Q�WHUPV�RI�WKH�FROODERUDWLYH�SURFHVV��WKH�H[SHULHQFH�KDV�EHHQ�VXFFHVVIXO��7KH�authors have relied on peer review as a quality assurance tool and have been able

WR� IXOO\�H[SORLW� WKHLU�GLIIHUHQW�FRPSHWHQFHV�DQG� WKHUHIRUH�KDYH�FRPSOHPHQWHG�each other in every stage of the process. Competences included the ability to

teach pronunciation and use Jing as well as the ability to create resources, or to

¿QG�DQG�DGDSW�RSHQO\�OLFHQVHG�UHVRXUFHV�VXFK�DV�UHVRXUFH�ERRNV��GUDZLQJV�DQG�pictures.

The process was successful as participants were willing to join and to participate

in an open and fruitful dialogue: each member contributed by providing ideas,

support and mutual encouragement. The participants soon understood that, as

individuals, they did not need a comprehensive ability to carry out all tasks

since, as members of the group, they were able to motivate and complement

each other and also give each other feedback. While this meant being open to

FULWLFLVP�DQG�ZLOOLQJQHVV�WR�QHJRWLDWH��WKH�¿QDO�SURGXFW�ZDV�GH¿QLWHO\�VXSHULRU�to what they could have done on their own.

Working together has also highlighted how a single template can be successfully

customised by the different teachers depending on their teaching styles,

considerations of the learners’ needs and the choice of pedagogical content. For

H[DPSOH��WHDFKHUV�FDQ�XVH�WKH�WHPSODWH�WR�IRFXV�PDLQO\�RQ�WKH�ZD\�LQ�ZKLFK�D�sound is made or spend more time helping learners to practise its use. Others

PD\�SUHIHU�D�PRUH�EDODQFHG�DSSURDFK��LQYROYLQJ�H[SODQDWLRQV�DQG�SUDFWLFH�

5.3. Professional development

The project has allowed the authors to develop their ability to use technology

for educational purposes. Adapting, designing and creating OERs requires a

FHUWDLQ�GHJUHH�RI�IDPLOLDULW\�ZLWK�,7�WRROV�DQG�D�ZLOOLQJQHVV�WR�H[SHULPHQW�ZLWK�them. Although PowerPoint is a well-known piece of software, and Jing is user-

IULHQGO\�DQG�PRVWO\�VHOI�H[SODQDWRU\�� LW�KDV�WDNHQ�VRPH�WLPH��FDUHIXO�SODQQLQJ�and several attempts to combine the two successfully.

Chapter 6

82

7KH� DXWKRUV� LGHQWL¿HG� GLIIHUHQFHV� EHWZHHQ� PHWKRGRORJLHV� XVHG� LQ� GLIIHUHQW�environments. When teaching pronunciation in a face-to-face situation, teachers

rely heavily on visual clues (learners imitate the way teachers move their lips

DQG�PRXWK���DQG�H[SODQDWLRQV�FDQ�EH�WDLORUHG�WR�OHDUQHUV¶�QHHGV��:KHQ�WHDFKLQJ�SURQXQFLDWLRQ�WR�GLVWDQFH�OHDUQHUV�WKURXJK�WKH�PHDQV�RI�RQOLQH�WRROV��H[SODQDWLRQV�have to be concise and precise, in order to compensate the lack of visual clues.

)LQDOO\� WKH�SURMHFW�KHOSHG� WKH�DXWKRUV� WR� IXUWKHU�H[WHQG� WKHLU� UROHV��3URGXFLQJ�OERs with a peer group meant changing the way the authors saw themselves as

teachers and gave them the opportunity to develop skills that are not traditionally

associated with their role.

Useful links

Audacity software for recording and editing sounds: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

LORO repository: http://loro.open.ac.uk

JING screen capture tool: http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

La pronuncia della lettera ‘s’: http://loro.open.ac.uk/2934/

Double consonants in Italian: a tongue-twister: http://loro.open.ac.uk/2859/

Pronouncing the Italian sound ‘gl’: http://loro.open.ac.uk/3502/